Silver Tree, Part 1

Рет қаралды 320,019

9 жыл бұрын

The classic silver tree demonstration! Very simple to set up and perform, it's great to introduce kids to the world of chemistry.
See Part 2 here: • Silver Tree, Part 2
The subtle things I mention in the video:
1) Tiny flecks of silver crystals falling off the copper wire.
2) The wavy mirage-like effect of mixing liquids, coming off the copper wire and copper goes into solution. I've noticed this in other videos before, but never for this experiment!
MUSIC: PeaceOut by airtone, feat. KungFu
dig.ccmixter.org/files/airtone...
Music track is freely usable for all purposes under the Creative Commons 3.0 (attribution) license.

Пікірлер: 165

@donavenfoo9204 9 жыл бұрын

This is a simple displacement reaction. The copper coil will displace silver from silver nitrate out of solution to form silver metal. Hence, the grey/silver coating being formed on the copper coil. At the same time, the copper atoms at the surface of the copper coil is being oxidised to copper(II) ions slowly turning the solution into a blue solution. Hence, the light blue-ish colour appearing first around the copper coil and then slowly increasing in concentration till the whole solution turns from colourless to blue.

@miner90000 8 жыл бұрын

We did this lab in my chemistry class and it remains to be one of my favorite labs.

@4mathieuj 9 жыл бұрын

Glad to see you back man!

@Atla57 9 жыл бұрын

Really happy to see a new video from you! Your videos are really interesting and fun!

@mrhomescientist 9 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much!

@josephnagy3037 7 жыл бұрын

@xenomancer1 9 жыл бұрын

I'm glad to see you're back!

@julianamarquesdaconceicao9328 3 жыл бұрын

4:49 it looks like that Elza froze it lolololol

@MrLol333 9 жыл бұрын

So simple yet so beautiful

@coffeecup1196 3 жыл бұрын

You can see around 3:00 where the density (and thus the refractive index) is changing due to the shift of ions. It's the slight shimmering, the same as can be seen on the hood of a car in the summer or above an asphalt road.

@lolubom6721 3 жыл бұрын

Getting practical knowledge instead of bookish knowledge during online classes 😀😀😀😀.. loved this video

@tap13tap 8 жыл бұрын

Hi mrhomescientist - Is there away to stop/inhibit/stabilize the crystallization process somewhere in the middle, before it starts to blacken with additional crystals? At that point is it still incredibly brittle? Thanks! - T

@brandontw01 9 жыл бұрын

1. Soon after the wire is dipped, flecks of something (contaminants?) drop off of the spring. 2. Also, copper nitrate makes the immediate area around the wire gain a blue tint, and later produce a shimmer effect. And, after removing the copper, It is *red*. Reminds me of once I put a penny in with salt and vinegar for days. Some of them gained pits. Others turned red or black. The same solution also hardened Elmer's glue.

@ClemoVernandez 9 жыл бұрын

welcome back, continue making videos

@IlluminatedWhiteGuy 8 жыл бұрын

You can make your own silver nano-particle silver heat sink compound with silver nitrate... When you expose finely ground silver nitrate to UV light it reduces the silver nitrate to silver nano-particles. A UV EPROM eraser lamp works perfect then you just mix the silver nano-particles with a small amount of silicone oil to make a paste like consistency mixture. The massive surface area of the silver nano-particles combined with silvers excellent thermal transfer properties make it a terrific heat sink compound. It efficiently fills the microscopic hills and valleys in the metal heat sinks surface allowing the heat to transfer as effectively as possible. More is not better either! The thinnest possible layer is the best, just make sure it's enough to fully cover the surface, a couple 1000ths is all you need...

@nekoakuma948 7 жыл бұрын

At first it looks like the wire is placed outside in a freezing winter, and then it looks like an underwater ancient forest

@KowboyUSA 9 жыл бұрын

Awesome; Mr Home Scientist is back.

@silentferret1049 8 жыл бұрын

From silver tree to Silver underwater shipwreck. Atleast thats what I think of. Titanic!

@ravichander7656 6 жыл бұрын

Hey! U have done it pretty good. I am gunna do this as ma Chem project. Can I use this as an anti rust solution on iron?

@Edgunsuk 7 жыл бұрын

any suggestions on halting the process and preserving the fines crystals in a solution still attached to the copper ?

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

I suppose you could use less silver nitrate, so they wouldn't grow so bushy. But the crystals are extremely fragile and very easily fall off the wire. I'm not sure how you'd preserve them. Maybe adding some agent to make the rest of the liquid a gel of some kind?

@Edgunsuk 7 жыл бұрын

i take it they do not adhere to the copper better when dry ?

@sheebasheebarg6879 3 жыл бұрын

Awesome ❤❤❤❤❤😍😍😍😍😍😍👌👌👌👌👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏🤝🤝🤝🤝🤝

@robertjenkins5440 5 жыл бұрын

Very cool and interesting

@ok-ed3eq 2 жыл бұрын

I saw another video and the liquid didn’t turn blue and the copper became black and tarnished. What was done differently?

@brycering5989 2 жыл бұрын

Was there an exothermic reaction? I see light refraction on the heated water trails rising from the coil or Silver?

@flytrap4171 5 жыл бұрын

Good work👍🏼

@aniket0902 6 жыл бұрын

2AgNO3+Cu - 2Ag +Cu(NO3)2 Blue colour is of copper nitrate and Ag is displaced by Cu

@jbmes6424 3 жыл бұрын

@aniket0902 3 жыл бұрын

@@jbmes6424 Why no

@aniket0902 3 жыл бұрын

@@jbmes6424 thanks to you Found my 3 years old comment Feeling nostalgic.

@jbmes6424 3 жыл бұрын

@@aniket0902 lol

@jbmes6424 3 жыл бұрын

@@aniket0902 noob

@idopyrotechnics 9 жыл бұрын

1. It appears that heat was being given off there was a change of pH visible in the water 2.there is a large dip in the water wher the copper is submerged( I know this probably isn't one of the things but ya know

@Anamaria-bo3qt Жыл бұрын

Very cool

@1205matthew 9 жыл бұрын

close to the wire there is a kind of distortion in the water like heat radiating of off a hot object and the copper change i guess

@TheBackyardScientist 9 жыл бұрын

I have done this, as well as zinc in a lead acetate solution. Very beautiful crystals. You should try it, I have a recent video on it. Anyway, how many brown stains on your skin do you have?

@camerongraves8398 5 жыл бұрын

TheBackyardScientist hey as i asked him do you think you'd be able to do one with gold if not collaborate with someone who has the resources like codys lab I've always wanted to see gold crystals grow

@rylangideon1487 2 жыл бұрын

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@crosbybilly8907 2 жыл бұрын

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@rylangideon1487 2 жыл бұрын

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@JohnHancocked 8 ай бұрын

What percentage is the silver nitrate powder ? Does it work the same with liquid silver nitrate?

@syafiq930 8 жыл бұрын

it's good to see something new :)

@darkbeetlebot 9 жыл бұрын

Now I can make Crystal Weapons!

@nancyvega2606 6 жыл бұрын

Very Cool!

@jbmes6424 3 жыл бұрын

swag

@99Chemicals 9 жыл бұрын

The wave like effect is called Schlieren. It's due to denser water and less dense water having different IOR's.

@michaelsegun5873 5 жыл бұрын

Good day, where can I buy the silver nitrate ?

@astbrnrd 8 жыл бұрын

How would you add a layer of silver to copper (like plating but considerably thicker) I have tried electrolysis but the coating was too thin regardless that it was left for days to make it build up. Tried dipping the copper in molten silver but it ended up like foil on a chocolate. Thanks in advance.

@mrhomescientist 8 жыл бұрын

Electroplating is pretty tricky to get right. I haven't done a lot of it myself, but try asking over at finishing.com. They have lots of experts there on that sort of stuff.

@flashdemonic5576 7 жыл бұрын

Probably dip it in a molten silver pool inside a casting and rapidly cool it?

@ThePeterDislikeShow 9 жыл бұрын

Can you make a gold tree with gold nitrate instead of silver nitrate?

@mrhomescientist 9 жыл бұрын

FortNikitaBullion Possibly! Copper would still be able to reduce gold from a solution of its ions, but it may not form nice crystals like silver does. Plating copper from solution (using, say, a strip of Al) just makes a powder, so that might be the same case here.

@glibbergloop 6 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately, gold nitrate doesn't exist in quantities large enough to make a noticeable effect, so you need this toxic stuff called gold cyanide to do it

@endothermicexothermic4051 4 жыл бұрын

@@glibbergloop gold chloride maybe able to do this

@albertomagliocco6792 9 жыл бұрын

What is that plastic ring on the graduated cilinder?

@FunnyAnimatorJimTV 5 жыл бұрын

Pretty! Would it be possible for the tree to be removed in a state at about 5:00 and displayed? That would look very nice :) Great video :)

@mrhomescientist 5 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately no, the tree is extremely fragile. As you saw later on, it fell right off when it was shaken. I think an actual electrolysis setup, where you apply electricity to a silver solution, can produce beefier crystals.

@Goateman1984 9 жыл бұрын

Are these crystals stable, if you wanted to cap it off for display?

@mrhomescientist 9 жыл бұрын

David Awesome Pants Tucker Well they are very fragile, so don't bump it! I think to make a good display you'd want a more dilute solution than I used, so the crystals would stop growing before they good too dark. Something around 5:45 looks the best, in my opinion. You'd have to play with concentration and see what yields the best looking crystals!

@user-pj7sg9bh4t 8 жыл бұрын

Hi, great video! after you pull out the wire can i do something to start over? maybe shaking the water? tnx

@mrhomescientist 8 жыл бұрын

+‫עידן שניידרמן‬‎ Once all the silver is plated out and the solution is blue, you'd need a fresh solution of silver nitrate. The same wire can be reused, though best results are with a new wire.

@lingarajug6328 2 жыл бұрын

How much time does it take to complete the reaction.

@brucefuller381 7 жыл бұрын

Can this reaction give off a "charge", like as in a battery?

@TheSmilylp 7 жыл бұрын

Not really, because you must have the copper in direct contact with the silvernitrate

@kevinmcd32 6 жыл бұрын

help please ok I have one question I have nitric acid and a heated magnetic Stirrer & some silver that I have made all most to dust now I know when I put the silver in the acid it reacts and will deserve now I am to put a copper bar in to the silver nitrate to recover the silver what do I need to do about the copper reacting with the acid all so ? add more silver? neutralize the acid? or? thank you

@mrhomescientist 6 жыл бұрын

kevinmcd32 The copper will react with any excess acid, then precipitate the silver once the acid is gone. It shouldn't matter too much. You'll just have to have enough extra copper to compensate for what's used up by the acid.

@kevinmcd32 6 жыл бұрын

thank you .

@naziraaidaralieva6801 7 жыл бұрын

hi very interesting video can you put more silver into beaker to speed up make silver tree?

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

Increasing the temperature would make the tree grow faster, but would probably yield smaller, less pretty crystals.

@naziraaidaralieva6801 7 жыл бұрын

do u know where i can get the silver?

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

Silver is available lots of places. Certain coins are made of silver and people sell silver bullion bars online or in some pawn shops. But you probably mean silver nitrate. Just Google it - lots of people sell it. eBay probably has it. Read the SDS before you handle any chemicals though and make sure to take safety seriously.

@naziraaidaralieva6801 7 жыл бұрын

oh ok thank you for information !

@Kisven 9 жыл бұрын

Would this work in reverse? A silver strip inside copper nitrate solution? I'm not big on chemistry.

@chemx8591 9 жыл бұрын

No it wouldn't work. Elemental silver precipitates out of the soulution because copper is a less "noble" metal than silver (redox potential). It is therefor oxidized by the silver ions and goes into solution, whereas the silver ions are reduced to elemental silver. It wouldn't work the other way round, because copper has a lower redox potential as silver. Effectively what you end up with after all the silver precipitates is the case you mentioned (elemental silver in a copper nitrate solution) and as you can see nothing happens there.

@mrhomescientist 9 жыл бұрын

ChemX is right. Search for the 'reactivity series' or 'activity series' - elements higher on the list will displace elements lower on the list from their solutions. You'll see copper is above silver, so this reaction can proceed but the reverse won't. You need a more active metal than copper, like iron or aluminum.

@Kisven 9 жыл бұрын

thanks gents, I figured it was a possibility only because I thought about the current solution in the video having all sorts of contamination, but now that I think of it, it makes more sense that it doesn't reverse react.

@mrhomescientist 9 жыл бұрын

Kisvenlucky7 Yeah, and also consider this: If the reverse reaction ( copper nitrate + silver -> copper + silver nitrate ) were possible, then the reaction in the video wouldn't hapen either! Because as fast as the silver was formed from the 'real' reaction, it would be converted back to the nitrate by the 'reverse' reaction!

@novaclassified 11 ай бұрын

Where would I get silver nitrate? is it expensive?

@youngbloodbear9662 9 жыл бұрын

There was some distortion rising from the reaction, I would presume nitrogen compound, and there were little specs that looked like they were shooting away from the copper

@sudarshan3965 5 жыл бұрын

Science is love

@yessieherrera2509 7 жыл бұрын

Hi! I'm following your instructions but I don't get the same results: the solution is cloudy and silver crystals are black. Nothing as you show in the video. Any advice?

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

Are you using the same concentration of silver nitrate solution? Is your copper wire clean? Are you using distilled water, not tap water? Silver nitrate is very sensitive to chloride ions, which could be causing the cloudiness.

@yessieherrera2509 7 жыл бұрын

I am using the same concentration and yes, clean copper wire. It must be then the water... I'll try with distilled water and let you know! Thank you very much!!

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

That was definitely the problem. Silver nitrate is used as a very sensitive test for chloride ions, so tap water will definitely react with it. Distilled water always when doing chemistry! Let me know how it goes.

@alexandertaylor9322 9 жыл бұрын

A Slight Precipitate along with the reaction

@jewelbennett5446 4 жыл бұрын

Can you put a current through it😁

@paty4455 7 жыл бұрын

Hi,you can just make gold there any method

@reaksmeyvathea8265 7 жыл бұрын

how many minute does it take to be freeze ;)

@camerongraves8398 6 жыл бұрын

Is there a gold salt that could do this im quite curious as gold has much more resilience when it comes to acids

@mrhomescientist 5 жыл бұрын

I haven't heard of a gold tree before, but theoretically I don't see why not. It's possible it might plate out instead of growing crystals. Try it if you can find some chloroauric acid!

@camerongraves8398 5 жыл бұрын

mrhomescientist im a broke ass with no job at the moment but do you think you could help me ask cody from codys lab seemingly as he has a crap ton of gold to play with and all the acids and equipment to do so and he loves taking suggestions to play around with heavy metals and chemistry

@nayan_sarkar 4 жыл бұрын

Please do a video with lead nitrate and silver nitrate solution mixed and then potassium iodide is added drop by drop. I did this - First it became yellow(PbI2) then white(AgI) then black(oxide) . The question is - why yellow first not white?

@gsgssgg8676 Жыл бұрын

لان الرصاص اثقل

@josephnagy3037 7 жыл бұрын

I love your videos and I. have same element book review

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

Joseph Nagy Thanks! It's a great book.

@josephnagy3037 7 жыл бұрын

_lh3.googleusercontent.com/JG1MHxk2VODXFlv_EGOQW57FUXvxB6exWGcxF7ZqMuK2RG248NwvmIdPmgoNs8DSzdVqmGHxXg_

@duonghuyenanh8094 6 жыл бұрын

WOW

@ryansalladay9523 5 жыл бұрын

What does the ph need to be? I had a huge yield on my first try and somehow I’m getting worse using mostly the same material. Help!

@mrhomescientist 5 жыл бұрын

Shouldn't matter. I always use distilled water and it works fine. Maybe try using fresh, clean copper each time.

@BYMYSYD 8 жыл бұрын

I see you get your chemicals from united unclear as well. Good store.

@ireneortegaalvarez6043 6 жыл бұрын

i need the transcription because english and chemical experiment i am not going to try it becuase it can be dangerous even if I knew....

@anushkasadhukhan1466 6 жыл бұрын

nice

@pragyasingh1838 6 жыл бұрын

i knw..

@sheebasheebarg6879 3 жыл бұрын

Background music 🎶 😇😇😇

@williamlaw5020 8 жыл бұрын

is it endothermic? why the copper wire isnt reduce to very slim state?

@mrhomescientist 8 жыл бұрын

+William Law To determine if it's endothermic, you'd have to look up the reaction enthaplies for all the compounds in this reaction. The beaker doesn't noticeably change temperature, so it's probably a small value either way. If you look at the reaction's equation, the 1g of silver metal I aimed to produce only consumes 0.29g of copper (due to silver's higher molecular weight and it's coefficient of 2 in the equation). So with such a relatively big wire, that small amount of copper isn't noticeable as a change in thickness.

@williamlaw5020 8 жыл бұрын

+mrhomescientist wow thx for the answer that help alot :D

@mrhomescientist 8 жыл бұрын

+William Law No problem!

@RishiRagul 4 жыл бұрын

How long it stand and it may evaporat?

@mrhomescientist 4 жыл бұрын

It took several hours to finish. The crystals are very fragile and supported by the liquid, so if it evaporated they'd collapse and fall off.

@milomister174 6 жыл бұрын

Products???

@shankarraj6088 6 жыл бұрын

hi its a really interesting and your voice and accent was excellent . i like the way you explain. i have a question after first process can i reuse the solution for next process i will wait for your replay thank you

@mrhomescientist 6 жыл бұрын

Shankar Raj Thank you! Once all the silver crystals have grown, there are no more silver ions in solution and you won't be able to use it again. Thanks for your interest!

@rosita9080 6 жыл бұрын

The blue liquid is because of the Copper, is'n it?

@mrhomescientist 6 жыл бұрын

Tooru Oikawa Correct! It becomes a solution of copper nitrate.

@somerandomguy84 4 жыл бұрын

This should work w aluminum foil too right?

@mrhomescientist 4 жыл бұрын

It should, but I've never seen it done that way. My hypothesis is that since Al is way higher on the activity series, you'll get much faster and smaller crystal formation. Possibly silver powder.

@somerandomguy84 4 жыл бұрын

@@mrhomescientist figured, thanks! I've seen it done with Mg and you get little flecks of Ag

@aravrg2046 6 жыл бұрын

u could put any type of catalyst

@abafreal9351 4 жыл бұрын

Mrs Crip Clough doin the most :(

@HyperXRahat 4 жыл бұрын

Is it a slow reaction

@mrhomescientist 4 жыл бұрын

Yes. Most of the video is sped up quite a bit.

@mehdihussain6890 6 жыл бұрын

He could wash the copper with HCL to clean it

@deedarali1948 8 жыл бұрын

how much time it will take?

@jbmes6424 3 жыл бұрын

poo

@lazarusyesthatsmybirthname3361 2 жыл бұрын

Maybe a few hours, I’d say 12 at most for best results

@jewelbennett5446 4 жыл бұрын

Can anyone purchase it. I can t wait to try this

@mrhomescientist 4 жыл бұрын

Sure, I did! eBay and Amazon can be good sources for chemicals, and silver nitrate is pretty common. Be careful though, it will badly stain your skin!

@joshc19991 8 жыл бұрын

turning

@charitygingras3405 3 жыл бұрын

So... why does it do this?

@blackjack6421 2 жыл бұрын

Why you break it off

@quinndoust5264 2 жыл бұрын

silver nitrate is my life

@alialsouaijet5563 9 жыл бұрын

Heat or gases are being emitted.

@joshc19991 8 жыл бұрын

why is the copper truning redish

@somefool6409 8 жыл бұрын

It truned red becuase it apparently gets oxidised. When he removes the silver he says he thinks it's an oxide layer.

@tylerlicko5352 8 жыл бұрын

It's radiating heat and the silver grows on it

@bunnyashes6976 9 жыл бұрын

so pretty :O

@andrey8978 7 жыл бұрын

Can I just throw it in the trash when I am done?

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

If you enjoy throwing away pure silver, sure.

@andrey8978 7 жыл бұрын

Ok. Also, where could I get silver nitrate?

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

Hippoblipo eBay has it I'm sure. Search and ye shall find!

@thietnguyenthe2571 7 жыл бұрын

thật kì diệu

@jedjepson33 5 жыл бұрын

Real silver ??

@mrhomescientist 5 жыл бұрын

Yes!

@Rickygonzal3z 9 жыл бұрын

nice!!!!!!

@sonic23233 9 жыл бұрын

it looks like silver ore

@josephnagy3037 7 жыл бұрын

@mrhomescientist 7 жыл бұрын

Joseph Nagy Hi!

@kavithamahesh3887 2 жыл бұрын

Who is watching it after 6 yrs

@LizardanNet 8 жыл бұрын

8:38 RUINED

@josephnagy3037 7 жыл бұрын

my real name is Jonathan not Joseph

@epic_sailor_ 6 жыл бұрын

Its supevvv...

@thedoubleblade9427 9 жыл бұрын

5th science rules

@phamhanh6558 6 жыл бұрын

shittttttttttt

@clarissaayres2060 2 жыл бұрын

hope you got ur money's worth

@rajputroyal6530 6 жыл бұрын

Worst

@jbmes6424 3 жыл бұрын

im really annoyed because of the way you pulled out >:(

@aravrg2046 6 жыл бұрын

u could put any type of catalyst

@blackjack6421 2 жыл бұрын

Why you break it off